Innocent Demon
by Lady Jekyll
Summary: My interpretation of Freddy's origins for the reboot of the original Nightmare. Chapter 8 up as of July 10, 2010. Sorry for the delay!
1. The Gardener

Innocent Demon

Ch. 1: The Gardener

* * *

A/n: This is my take on the 'origins' of Freddy for the upcoming movie from what we've learned from the script review. The appearance of Freddy here is modeled after Jackie Earle Haley (AKA: the new Freddy).

* * *

Freddy Krueger feigned ignorance to the fact that the three kids were standing behind him. He smiled to himself as he pretended to be focused on planting the flowers.

"Wanna play tag with us, Mr. Freddy? You're it!" asked Kris Hughes. Such a sweet girl, only five years old. Blonde hair. Angelic little creature…

"Tag? All right," Freddy said with a smile, turning to face Kris and her playmates. He groaned as he made to stand.

"You okay, Mr. Freddy?" asked the little brunette girl standing next to Kris. Nancy Thompson, that was her name.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm all right. I just get stiff from being on my knees all the—TAG!" Krueger said, lighting patting Nancy on the shoulder before breaking into a slow jog so the kids could try to catch him.

"Hey! No fair!" said Nancy, running after him as Kris and a boy (Quinton Dowd) also gave chase. Freddy ran behind a tree, grinning. Nancy, Kris and Quinton tip-toed to the tree.

"Got you, Mr. Freddy!" said Nancy, reaching to tag him. Freddy was gone. "Huh? Where'd he go?" The children looked up at the sound of a voice singing.

_"1, 2…Freddy's coming for you…"_

Kruger jumped down from the tree branch he'd been sitting on. The children squealed with delight, tackling him as he made to stand.

"Oh no, they've _got_ me!" the gardener said, laughing. Neither Freddy nor the children saw the young blonde woman smiling at the sight.

_Oh, what a good Daddy he'll be,_ thought Loretta Krueger with a contented sigh as she put a hand to her slightly bulging stomach. _Isn't that right, little one?_ Loretta chuckled as her husband finally noticed her as he tried to squirm away from the children.

"Ack! Loretta! _Help_!"

"All right, guys, that's enough," said Loretta. "Your parents are here to get you. I'll see you tomorrow."

The two adults were given calls of "Bye-Bye Teacher Loretta! See you tomorrow, Mr. Freddy!" as the three kids raced down the playground to meet up with their parents.

"You alive, honey?" Loretta inquired, offering her hand to help Freddy up.

"God, where the hell—excuse me—heck do kids get all that energy and where can I get some?" Freddy asked, making sure the Quinton kid didn't try to take his wallet again. Sneaky little brat… Ah, good, wallet intact. Now…let's see if he still had cash in it…

"Fred, what happened to your hand?" Loretta asked as Freddy pulled off his right glove in order to dig through his wallet. There was a long clean cut across the back of his hand, bits of lint from his glove had adhered to the now congealed blood.

"What, that? Accidently knocked my hand against the pruning shears when I had my gloves off, that's all," Freddy replied. "Bled like hell."

"Did you use the first aid kit we've got in the supply closet?"

"You had a class in the playroom at the time. I didn't want to freak'em out. Like I said, it bled like hell," Freddy replied, looking at his cut hand. Probably best to clean it out, as he worked in the dirt all day. His gloves were wearing out, too. He'd have to make a mental note to pick up a few spare sets from the hardware store on his way home.

Loretta led her husband inside the preschool, unlocking a supply closet in the main playroom and pulling out the first aid kit. Freddy sat down on a beanbag chair, smiling.

"Oooh, gonna play 'Doctor' are we?" he inquired with a smile. "I like that idea…"

Loretta shook her head, fighting not to smile as she lightly dabbed rubbing alcohol on the cut. Freddy inhaled sharply, letting out a mild grunt of pain, his fingers curling into his palm on instinct.

"That dampen your mood any?" Loretta asked as she now wrapped a gauze bandage around the cut. Freddy smiled, whispering in her ear.

_"No. It only stoked the fire…"_ he whispered, his voice turning husky and gruff. Loretta was both uneasy and excited at the same time as Freddy ran his tongue lightly below her jaw. _"I **need** this, Lore. You have no idea—"_

Loretta lightly pushed him away. He'd often propositioned her for sex here. Normally, they'd sneak down to the boiler room in the basement. Lately though, Freddy had suggested they be a little more daring and make love in one of the classrooms. It was a suggestion that both excited and frightened her. If they got caught…but that was the least of her worries.

What worried her more was the fact that Freddy suggested it in the first place.


	2. Deja vu

Innocent Demon

Ch. 2: Déjà vu

* * *

A/n: I own jack squat. Sister Mary Helena (Amanda Krueger) makes an appearance here.

* * *

"I don't want to risk anything, Freddy," said Loretta as she gently but firmly pushed her husband away again. "Either of our jobs or the baby."

Freddy nodded and backed down. He looked rather annoyed.

"Looks like I'll have to go one-handed for the next eight months, huh?" he said with a weak smile.

Loretta sighed. Like her condition was _her_ fault!

"You brought it on yourself, Fred," Loretta replied. "And when it comes to sex you tend to get…well…" her voice trailed off and Freddy unconsciously put a hand to his left shoulder. He'd accidentally burned himself on a hot metal pipe in the boiler room of the preschool a while back. Didn't even notice it had happened until he'd climaxed and was getting dressed.

"Overenthusiastic?" Freddy offered with a smile.

"I'd go for _dominate_, but all right," said Loretta. A streak of white over Freddy's shoulder suddenly caught her eye. "Oh, good afternoon, Sister," she said.

Sister Mary Helena smiled warmly as she stood in the doorway. Freddy looked frozen to the spot as he turned and saw the nun. He looked pale, even scared. Mary Helena was a sweet woman, why Freddy always got so spooked about her, Loretta never fully understood.

"H—hullo, Sister," Krueger said, crossing himself. That was another thing Loretta found odd. Freddy was not a religious man and never acted pious around any other member of the clergy he came into contact with except for Sister Mary Helena.

"Afternoon, Frederick," the nun said, patting Freddy kindly on the shoulder. Freddy looked as though he were going to be sick.

"I—I've got some…stuff…errands to run before I go home, honey," Krueger said, talking very fast as he tugged on his faded black trench coat and grabbed his grimy fedora from the counter. "I'll get some take out for food—I mean dinner," he said, bolting out the door as though his life depended on it.

"Has Frederick always been so jumpy?" the nun asked with a smile as she sat down next to Loretta.

"I'd like to apologize, Sister," Loretta said. "He's often told me that he feels like he knows you from somewhere, but he can't place it."

"Oh?" inquired the nun, her voice high with surprise. "I…knew his mother."

"Freddy never talks about his family. He did once mention something about a nickname he was called as a kid. What was it…?" Loretta said, thinking. "Ah, the son of a hundred maniacs or something. Whenever I ask him why he'd earned it, he goes quiet. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Well, I had recently heard that you and your husband are expecting," Mary Helena said. Loretta smiled and nodded. "Ah, see, you're glowing. So, if you need any help regarding looking after the little ones in your class, I am more than willing to help. And, if you are interested, I myself am also a midwife."

"Thank you for your offer, Sister. I will consider it when I get farther along," Loretta said.

The nun nodded in understanding and moved towards the door.

"Oh, and tell Frederick his mother says 'hello'."

* * *

_Stupid idiot…letting some stupid church-broad get to you,_ Freddy thought. He fumbled at the hatch to the glove compartment of his truck, pulling out a flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a swig of whiskey. _Just calm the fuck down…_ but what was it about that nun that bothered him so? Why did she seem so familiar, when he'd only met her two years ago at his own wedding? He avoided her every chance he got. Loretta was friendlier with her than he was. For some reason, after every encounter with her, he was suddenly struck with the childhood memory of being taunted…

_Son of a hundred maniacs! Son of a hundred maniacs! Son of a—_

"Freddy?" asked Loretta in concern. Freddy choked, quickly tossing the flask back into the glove compartment. He gasped and hacked as the whiskey went down the wrong tube. "Were you drinking?"

"_Ack_—nuh—_hack_—no, honey…" Freddy gasped. He was sure he'd accidentally snorted whiskey into his sinuses. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure you're okay? You've gone pale."

"Goddammit, you stupid bitch, why won't you trust me when I say I'm all right?!" Freddy snarled, his voice bitter. He quickly understood he'd lost his temper again, one of the major issues of their marriage. "I—I'm sorry, Loretta. I didn't mean to…snap at you like that."

Loretta fixed him with a hurt, angry stare that told him he'd be sleeping on the couch tonight.


	3. A Night at the Bar

Innocent Demon

Ch. 3: A Night at the Bar

* * *

For the rest of the night, Loretta didn't say a word to Freddy. She'd merely set his pillow and several blankets outside the closed door to the bedroom they shared. Freddy knew better than to protest. If the silent treatment would last for more than one night (and it had in the past) Freddy would sleep on the floor opposite the bedroom door, waiting for Loretta to let him in again. When it came to that point, Freddy couldn't help but feel like a dog that had been kicked but still craved its master's attention. Loretta would silently make him beg and he hated it. But he could make her beg and plead for hours when he felt like it…

Sighing, Freddy scooped up the makeshift bedding his wife had left him and wandered downstairs to the living room sofa. He set the items down and reached for the half-empty bottle of beer, muttering to himself between each swig.

"And so...the Couch of Banishment. A vile contraption that the wives of Springwood use to force their husbands into a guilt-trip. The judge sentences a one Mr. Frederick Charles Krueger to a night of tossing and turning, falling off at least twice and a following day of a stiff neck and sore shoulder. Krueger has one final drink before facing his death. He turns to the Couch and says 'Damn you to hell'."

As tired as he was, Freddy didn't feel like sleeping. He stood up, grabbed his fedora and keys and walked to his truck. Not really sure where to go this time of night, he put the keys into the ignition and backed out of the driveway. Freddy then pulled to a stop 20 minutes later outside the local bar. There were cars he recognized. Donald Thompson's sheriff car was the one that stood out the most, save Freddy's own truck which had the name of his landscaping business on it (KRUGER LANDSCAPING). Freddy got out of the truck and opened the door. He was met with cheers from the other bar patrons. Springwood was a small town, everyone knew who he was.

"Way to go, Fred!" said Sheriff Thompson, clapping Freddy on the on the back so hard he felt his teeth click together involuntarily. "Our wives finally told us the news!"

"News?" asked Freddy, wondering if the men were too liquored up to make sense.

"Idiot," said Nathan Dowd, grabbing Krueger's fedora and putting it on his own head. "You knocked up Loretta!"

"Oh," said Freddy, trying not to sound proud about it. "Yeah, guess I did."

"You 'guess'? Shit, Fred. You damn well did! If there was any idea of an affair goin' on in Springwood, the whole fuckin' town would be talking about it!" Donald Thompson replied. "I vaguely remember hearin' about that scandal that hit the town back when we were kids…That nun…Sis'er Mary Helena…"

"What scandal?" Freddy asked, suddenly disinterested in the bottle of beer Nathan Dowd had shoved into his hand.

"I remember tha' too, Donny," Nathan said, taking a swig of beer. "That nun was only—what? Seventeen? Accidentally got herself locked in with the worse of the nut jobs in that old mental hospital. It got shut down shortly after…*hic*…Poor bitch. Beaten…raped hundr'ds of times…all one hundr'd maniacs had a piece of her for days…"

"Oh fuck…" Freddy whispered. He felt sick.

"Hey…Freddy…are you okay man?"

Kruger quickly turned away from his drinking companions and vomited. He fell to his knees, retching and coughing, that childhood taunt running through his brain.

_Son of a hundred maniacs! Son of a hundred Maniacs! Son of a hundred maniacs…!_

Why hadn't he seen it before? Why hadn't he put two and two together? Out of all the husbands with young children in Springwood, Freddy, a father-to-be, was the youngest. That odd feeling he got whenever he saw that nun…it all made sense now. And it terrified him.

"I—I have to get home…" Krueger gasped, staggering to his feet. He still felt like he was going to get sick again, despite he'd already vomited everything he'd consumed that evening. Freddy felt like he'd drunk way too much, despite he'd barely touched two beers that night and what little he had drunk was now on the floor of the bar.

"Lemme…lemme call the deputy to take you home, Fred," said Sheriff Thompson. "You don't look well at all."

"No…will be all right…" Freddy whispered. He snatched his fedora back and stumbled out to the parking lot. It was raining now. Freddy got into his truck and started the engine. He couldn't think…nothing made sense anymore… Freddy slammed his foot on the gas pedal, not caring what happened. If what he'd heard was true…he didn't want to be around to see another version of himself suffer from whatever demons he'd inherited…

Everything was spinning out of control…literally.

_"SHIT!"_


	4. Sticks and Stones

Innocent Demon

Ch. 4: Sticks and Stones

* * *

A/n: I love torturing my fandoms…I had to include a classic Freddy line here.

* * *

"Oh shit…" whispered Donald Thompson. He and Nathan Dowd jogged to the wrecked remains of Freddy's truck. The gardener had lost control of the truck and crashed into a tree. "Nathan, call an ambulance…I'll tell Loretta myself…" the sheriff went on. He walked up to the driver's side window from which Krueger's blood-streaked arm dangled. "Fred…?"

"Argh… FUCK!" Freddy groaned, clenching his teeth in pain.

"Easy, Fred. Ambulance is on the way," Thompson said. "Talk to me, buddy. What happened?"

Freddy was conscious, which was a good sign. Aside from a gash on the side of his head and right arm, he looked all right.

"I…don't remember…" Freddy said; his face tinged green with pain. "Guess I just lost control of—of the truck. Shit…my leg!"

Sheriff Thompson pulled his flashlight from his belt and shined it into the wreckage of the truck. Freddy had cuts and bruises, but his right leg was positioned at an unnatural angle, jammed against the driver's side dashboard.

"Ah…_fuck_ it hurts…" Freddy groaned. "Loretta…"

"I'll tell her what happened," said the sheriff. "Nathan, get one of those flares from the back of my car!"

Dowd nodded, grabbing a road flare from the trunk of Thompson's police cruiser. He lit it and flagged down the passing deputy's car, the ambulance following behind.

"Hey! _HEY_!" Nathan shouted. Mike Hughes, Kris' father, and deputy sheriff for Springwood, got out of the car and walked up to Thompson.

"Holy hell, Donny…is that—? Is that Fred Krueger, the gardener?"

"How many Fred Kruegers live in Springwood, Mike? Look, follow the ambulance to the hospital and call me when he gets there. I have to go tell Loretta what happened," Thompson replied. Both he and Hughes turned at Freddy's cry of pain.

"ARRGH!! Oh…shit…!" Freddy groaned as the paramedics laid him on a stretcher. There was a shard of bone protruding from Freddy's jeans a few inches below his knee. Krueger's face went slack and his body went still.

"Fred?" whispered Donald, shocked at seeing Freddy suddenly fall unconscious.

"He'll be all right, Sheriff," said the paramedic with a weak smile. "Just passed out from the pain."

Thompson nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Mother of God, what am I gonna tell Loretta…?"

* * *

Loretta Krueger jerked awake at the sound of a soft moan. She looked up from where her husband lay in the hospital bed, trying to blink the drug-fueled haze from his vision.

"Loretta…"

_"Freddy!"_ Loretta cried, throwing her arms around her husband. Freddy winced in pain.

"Gahh-ha! Not…not healed, honey…oww…"

Loretta quickly released him from her embrace.

"Oh, Fred, I'm _sorry_!"

"It's…all right. It's all right," Freddy said, smiling weakly. "Sticks and stones may break my bones. But _nothin'_ will ever kill me."

"You always say that," Loretta said with a smile. Freddy's smile widened, hiding a twinge of pain as he tried to move his right leg.

"It's proved—_ow!_—true so far, hasn't it?"

"Yes, but it's wasn't sticks and stones that broke your leg, more like your truck colliding with a tree. What happened?" Loretta inquired.

Freddy blinked rapidly a few times, trying to get both his thoughts and his sight to focus.

"I—"

_Son of a hundred maniacs! …Sis'er Mary Helena…all one hundred maniacs had a piece of her for days… Son of a hundred maniacs! _

"I don't remember…"


	5. Innocence Mother and Child

Innocent Demon

Ch. 5: Innocence; Mother and Child

* * *

A/n: Freddy starts getting…perverse here. Oh, Krueger, you sick, sick bastard! Why must I love you? And I'm pretty sure I'm going to hell.

* * *

"Afternoon, honey," said Loretta, kissing Freddy on the cheek. "How are you feeling?" She looked pale and tired. Freddy had only been hospitalized for three days and was to be discharged the next morning.

"Worried," said Freddy. Loretta looked surprised as her husband continued. "I'm worried about _you_. You work yourself to the point of exhaustion, babe. Take care of yourself. Please. For me? For the baby? I'll be fine by myself at home; I have my workshop downstairs in the basement to keep me occupied."

"Freddy…" Loretta started. Krueger sighed, fighting to keep his temper under control.

"Loretta, _please_," he said, putting his hand to his wife's slightly bulging stomach. "_This_ is much more important than I am." His eyes widened at a sudden thump against his hand. "What was…? Did—did…?"

"Little one just started kicking lately. I think he or she was just saying 'Hi, Daddy!'" said Loretta with a proud smile.

Freddy smiled, pushing his fedora out of his line of vision.

"Wow…wow…" he whispered. He turned suddenly as he felt someone grab his fedora off his head. 3-year-old Nancy Thompson giggled as she put Krueger's fedora on her own head.

"Hiya, Mr. Freddy!" she said. Freddy tilted his head to the side a little, looking similar to a confused puppy.

"Nancy? What are you doin' here, Pumpkin?" Freddy inquired. He looked up and saw Donald Thompson, Nancy's father, pull off his sheriff's hat as he stood in the doorway. "Donny? What brings you here?

"Nancy has been begging me to take her to visit you since the day you were admitted," said the sheriff with a smile as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "We're not gonna stay too long though, Nance. Mr. Krueger needs to rest."

"Ah, bull, Donny, I'm all right. Just my leg, that's all. Should be back to normal in a month or so," Freddy replied with a wave of the hand.

"I think it would take more than a month, Fred," Thompson said. "They had to put screws in your leg, you fu—" the sheriff looked down at his daughter, cleared his throat and corrected himself. "—you messed your leg up so badly."

Little Nancy, tired of her Daddy hogging all of Mr. Freddy's attention, climbed up on the edge of the bed near the gardener's arm and sat there. She handed Krueger a piece of folded red construction paper.

"Here ya go, Mr. Freddy!" she said happily.

"Oh? What's this?" Freddy asked with a grin.

"I made it at school. Teacher Loretta helped," Nancy replied. Freddy smiled. Nancy had made him a get-well card.

"So, what's all this here?" Freddy asked, pointing at the picture drawn inside the card. Nancy pointed to each of the stick figures, more than happy to explain.

"That's you," she said, pointing to the stick figure wearing a hat and striped shirt. "And that's me, Kris and Quinton," she went on, pointing to the three smaller stick figures poking out from behind a tree.

"And what are we doing?" Freddy asked.

"Playin' hide and seek!"

Freddy laughed.

"Ha ha! Well, we'll play hide and seek once I can walk again, okay?" he replied. Nancy threw her arms around Freddy's neck and hugged him.

"Yay!" she said happily, kissing him on the cheek. Krueger felt the color drain from his face. Why did she…?

"All right, Nancy…I'm kinda tired. Think I'll take a nap, okay? I'll—see you later," said Freddy, fighting to keep his breathing steady. His heart was pounding so hard against his ribs it hurt.

"You heard Mr. Krueger, cupcake, let's go get a snack with Teacher Loretta, okay?" said Sheriff Thompson, allowing Nancy to jump onto his back for a piggy-back ride. "See ya later, Fred."

"See ya, Donny. I'll call you later tonight, Loretta, okay?" Freddy said. He wanted everyone out of the room _NOW_. He wasn't sure how long he could hold back the urges washing over him.

"Okay, sweetheart. Sleep well," said Loretta, following the sheriff and child out of the room.

"Will do, honey," said Freddy. He slammed the back of his head against the pillow once he heard the door click shut and allowed his eyes to roll back into his head. Why did Nancy have to be so sweet and innocent and…?

Freddy balled his shaking hands into fists, not wanting to act on the urges, but…he _was_ alone…

_Fuck it_, he thought.

* * *

Freddy jerked awake at the sound of the door to his room opening. Feeling both refreshed and…satisfied, he quickly tossed two balled up tissues into the wastebasket beside his bed. See no evil, think no evil.

"Good evening, Frederick," said a voice that sent chills down Freddy's spine for reasons he couldn't explain. Sister Mary Helena. And this time he had nowhere to go, not like he could go anywhere with his leg fucked up the way it was.

"Evening, Sister," Freddy replied, crossing himself on impulse. "Do you need something?"

The nun smiled, but her eyes looked sad, even scared.

"I'd like to talk to you. I thought now would be a good time, as you can't run away. The sheriff asked me to give this to you," Mary Helena went on, handing Freddy his fedora. "His daughter had it."

"Th—thank you. I wouldn't want to lose this…sort of a…prized possession of mine."

"Loretta tells me you feel like you know me from somewhere," the nun replied, pulling up a chair beside Krueger.

"Ahh…I know it sounds…nutty," said Freddy, "I remember only first meeting you at my own wedding two years ago, but…I don't know why I feel like I've known you longer than that."

Mary Helena shut her eyes for a moment, only to open them when she spoke.

"You have, Frederick. I'm your mother," she said.

Freddy felt like he'd be hit in the back of the head. It clicked the second she met his gaze. He had her eyes…

"Oh? Well…Um…that's a bit of a hard pill to swallow there," Freddy replied.

"Let me explain," the nun went on, twisting the end of the sleeve of her habit nervously. "My real name is Amanda Krueger. It was back in…'60, I think. I was doing volunteer work at the Craven Asylum. No one knows what happened, but the guards had forgotten I was there and left me locked up with 100 of the most deranged…_evil_ inmates in the hospital. They rounded on me, wanting to attack, but…he wouldn't let them."

"He?" asked Freddy, his mouth suddenly going dry. He reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and took a swig.

"I never knew his name. The guards and doctors all called him 'Ted' because he responded when called that. Who he really was, I never knew. But he would never allow the other inmates to touch me…he wanted me for himself. He raped me, more than once that night—,"

Amanda paused as her son choked on a sip of water.

"What…?"

"My memory is…fuzzy, but I vaguely remember smoke…one of the other inmates had started a fire. Ted got me out and tried to escape himself but…the guards had returned, found me and…they shot him to death. I was sent back to my convent…pregnant. Nine months later, you were born."

Freddy fixed the woman with a gaze that reminded her of the hungry look "Ted" had given her all those years ago.

"I thought nuns took care of children, not abandon them," he replied venomously.

"I was seventeen, Fred. I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do, I was scared!" Amanda replied. Freddy jerked his head from side to side, the vertebrae in his neck cracking audibly. He handed the nun the hat she had returned to him.

"Look inside," he said. Amanda obeyed and saw a name written into the sweatband: _Robert J. Underwood_.

"Your foster father? I remember hearing he'd been murdered. You must have been so scared…"

Freddy flashed a smile that Amanda didn't like.

"Well, _Ma_, you came clean, so why don't I? Yes, Underwood was murdered, but I wasn't scared. Not anymore. I'd had enough of being that son of a bitch's punching bag—his whipping boy! You have no idea what he did to me…He beat me, Ma. He beat me, whipped me…_touched_ me…Finally, I'd had enough. I killed him. I killed him and made up the story about the attempted robbery. I had to get out…he would have killed me if I hadn't killed him. You understand, don't you? Mom?"

Amanda had turned as white as her habit.

"I knew it…" she whispered. "I knew it! You're just like him! I should have killed you when I had the chance! You are evil and sick, Frederick Krueger, just like the monster that violated me.

"Sins of the father, huh? You're no saint, Ma! You abandoned me! Don't nuns take vows to help those less fortunate? Must have skipped past those! And you call yourself a Bride of Christ—!"

"Damn you!" Amanda snarled, striking her son across the face. "Burn in Hell, murderer! You are no son of mine!"


	6. Small Town Kindess

Innocent Demon

[Co-Written by Mlle-Relda/ Diane]

Ch. 6: Small Town Kindness

* * *

Freddy was more than happy to be home. He hobbled down the flight of steps to the basement, hesitatingly permitting Loretta to help him set up a makeshift bed on the old sofa the previous owners of the house had left. The basement was his domain, he never allowed Loretta down here. With good reason, mind you. Freddy's hobby, which made a nice bit of income aside from his working as a gardener, was metalwork. He made little things, trinkets, occasional jewelry pieces. He'd even made Loretta's wedding ring. Loretta had been begging him for years to try to sell his work every now and again. He refused, of course. Requests from friends and neighbors, he'd do, but create pieces for money? Never.

"If I need you, I'll communicate through the vents down here. Don't come down here while I'm working, okay?" Freddy said.

"I _know_, baby," said Loretta, kissing Freddy's temple. "I know it's dangerous down here. How can you stand it?"

"I like the heat," answered Freddy with a grin. "Always have."

"Your father must have been the devil, then," Loretta joked. Freddy went pale, recalling Sister Mary Helena's confession.

_I should have killed you when I had the chance!_

"Refresh my memory, Loretta. The library is open on Sundays, right?" Freddy asked.

"Yep," said Loretta. "You were there just last week, remember?"

Freddy felt a muscle twitch in his right eye.

"No…damn painkillers…memory's all fucked up."

"I think that's more from the concussion. You were out for hours."

Freddy shook himself mentally.

"Ah, whatever. I'm all settled here now, so you can go back up. I'll call you if I need you," Freddy went on.

"All right. I'll knock on the door when I bring dinner down for you," Loretta said with a smile. She got up and turned to leave.

"Loretta," said Freddy suddenly.

"Yeah, hon?"

"I love you."

Loretta chuckled, somewhat surprised. Freddy didn't say that often.

"I love you too, Fred."

Once his wife was gone, Freddy stared at the phone. The cast made his leg itch like hell, but he put it out of his mind. His mother's words were more of a concern at the moment. Debating with himself, Freddy grabbed the phone and dialed the number for the public library.

"_Springwood Library, how can I help you?"_ came a female voice from the other line.

"Uh, yeah, hi, this is Frederick Krueger, I was wondering if I could possibly access the library's newspaper archives?"

"_Of course, sir. Is there something in particular you are looking for?"_ the voice asked.

"Any information concerning a woman named Amanda Krueger…around 1960 to 1961."

"_I'll look it up for you and photocopy any articles I find. Will you be able to pick them up tomorrow?"_

"I'll ask a friend to bring them to me," Freddy replied.

"_Anything else?"_

"No, I think that'll do it. Thank you for your help."

"_Not at all, sir. Like I said, I should have the photocopied articles ready by tomorrow."_

"You're an angel. Thanks again," Freddy said, hanging up. He turned his head at a knock on the basement door.

"Fred, it's Donny Thompson. If you can, come up stairs, I've got something for you," came the sheriff's voice from behind the door.

"Go ahead and open the door, Donny, I'm decent," Freddy replied. He felt his heart jump into his throat. If Donny was here that would mean…

_Nancy…_

Sheriff Thompson smiled as he walked down the stairs. Freddy grabbed his crutches and made to hobble up the stairs. Donny couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Allow me, Ma'am," he said in a John Wayne impression, grabbing the injured man and carrying him up the stairs.

"Fuck you, Donny," Freddy muttered. "But…thanks anyway."

"No problem, buddy," Thompson replied, setting Freddy on the living room sofa. He then walked back downstairs and handed Freddy his crutches when he returned. He turned and spoke over his shoulder. "Nancy, come give Mr. Krueger his surprise!"

On cue, Nancy skipped towards where Freddy sat, a small jingling sound following her with each step the child took. With a sweet, innocent smile that made Freddy choke on his own breath, she placed a set of keys into his hand.

"These are the keys to my truck…" said Freddy slowly, as though he wasn't sure what language he was speaking.

"Ta-da!" said Nancy with an energetic flourish as Loretta pulled back the drapes. Freddy's pick-up truck was back in the driveway, good as new.

"What—? How did—?" Krueger stammered.

Donny clapped Freddy good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"Mike Hughes, Nathan Dowd and I all pitched in and paid for the repairs."

Freddy blinked a few times, trying to figure out what to say.

"You didn't have to do that…" he said at last. "The accident was my fault…I'll—I'll pay you guys back in full."

Sheriff Thompson sighed.

"Fred, you and I both know you can't pay us back. Between your wages as a gardener and Loretta's as a teacher, you've barely got enough to scrape by as it is. And hell, you two have a baby on the way."

"I'll—I'll get a second job," said Freddy, hating the fact that Donny had him cornered. He didn't like the idea of taking charity. "I'll…paint houses or something. Donny, I swear I'll pay you back somehow."

"The garden, Daddy!" piped up Nancy. The sheriff smiled, and gave his daughter a weak nod.

"Good idea, Nance!" he said. "We recently bought supplies to renovate our garden at home, Fred," Donny went on as Nancy began attempting to write her name on Freddy's cast with a marker Loretta had handed her. "As you Gwen is…well—" he made a drinking motion with his hand. Freddy nodded and allowed the man to continue. "And seeing as I'm at work for most of the day, I can't find the time to work on it. If you were to do the renovation for me, consider that payment enough for your truck."

"I dunno, Donny…" said Freddy, running a hand through his hair. The room was quiet, save Nancy's playful mutterings as she doodled on Freddy's cast.

"N-A-N-C-E-E! Nancy!" said the little girl happily. "You gonna come to my house, Mr. Freddy?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Freddy replied. He flashed a weak smile as Nancy climbed onto the sofa beside him and laid her head on his lap. Freddy felt himself stiffen (in more ways than one) and gently pushed the girl off and shifted his position.

"Please, Mr. Freddy?" Nancy asked, giving him a doe-eyed look. Freddy swallowed the same moan he'd barked out in the hospital after he'd shooed everyone out of the room. He fought to keep his hands from shaking as he moistened the tip of his thumb with his tongue and wiped away a streak of red marker from her cheek. For a flash of a second, the red ink took on a pearly white color in his mind's eye as he wiped it away.

"If it means that much to you, Pumpkin…okay," Freddy said in a near whisper. "You can be my special helper. Would you like that?"

Nancy's eyes lit up.

"Can we play house?!"

"Anything you want, angel…" Freddy replied. _"Anything you want…"_


	7. Wolf in Gardener's Clothing

Innocent Demon

[Co-Written by Mlle-Relda/ Diane]

Ch. 7: The Wolf in Gardener's Clothing

* * *

A/n: This chapter has some rather…*cough* Well…let's just say I am expecting Chris Hansen to beat down my door any time now.

* * *

"Thanks for doin' this, Fred," said Donny Thompson. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, sighing as he continued. "Whew—the annual Springwood Indian Summer, right on time."

"Don't I know it!" said Freddy with sigh. He perched his fedora over his eyes, only his mouth visible. Donny saw Freddy grin at the sound of Nancy singing a little tune as she skipped over to them.

"Yay, Mr. Freddy's here!" Nancy shouted. She stood in front of him, waiting for him to greet her. Freddy stood stalk still, as though he were frozen in place, his hat still over his eyes. "Mr. Freddy?"

"Oh, I'm not Mr. Freddy…" came a playful growl from under the hat. "I'm the—TICKLE MONSTER! I'm gonna get ya!" Freddy suddenly ducked down, his fedora fluttering to the ground as he grabbed Nancy and began tickling her.

Donny smiled, but it was slightly tinged with jealousy as he watched Freddy amuse Nancy by indulging in her little games. _Damn you, Fred,_ _your daughter's not even born yet, and you're already a better father than I am…_

"Okay…that's enough…Phew!" panted Freddy, breathless from laughing as had Nancy turned the tables and was tickling him. "Ahaha! Hey! All—heh—all right, that's enough now…"

"Nancy!" said Sheriff Thompson gruffly, causing Nancy (and inadvertently, Freddy) to jump. "Mr. Krueger said that's enough. You listen to him while I'm gone, understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," Nancy replied, looking at her shoes. "I'll be a good girl."

Donny smiled and kissed his daughter on the cheek.

"I hope so. Have fun, okay?" He turned to Freddy and shook his hand. "Thanks, again, Fred. Nancy's been so rambunctious lately. Do me a favor and wear her out for me, huh?"

Freddy nodded and grinned. _With pleasure …_ he thought wickedly.

"She's in good hands, Donny, don't you worry," Freddy replied, putting his fedora back on his head. He and Nancy stood at the front of the driveway, hand in hand, waving as Donald Thompson climbed into his police cruiser and drove off.

"All right," said Freddy enthusiastically clapping his hands together. He bent down to Nancy's eye level and smiled. "You ready, my special helper?"

"Yay!" said Nancy excitedly. Mr. Freddy was as giddy as she was. _Mr. Freddy's funny,_ she thought, _he's a grown up but he actually likes to play. Daddy isn't like that…_

"Great!" Freddy replied. "Oh! I got you something…" he continued, jogging over to his truck. He jumped a little, his right leg still paining him somewhat. It was fully healed, but wouldn't want to cooperate with him sometimes. He hopped on one foot for a moment before slamming the door to his pickup truck closed and limping his way back to Nancy. "Here," he went on, "these are for you!"

Nancy's eyes lit up at the gift. A pair of little girl-sized pink gardening gloves.

"Yay!" the child said happily. Freddy laughed as he put on his own worn brown gloves and tossed a coil of gardening hose over his shoulder.

"C'mon, Nance…let's get to work!"

* * *

About an hour into gardening, Freddy looked up from the flowers he was planting at the sound of Nancy screaming.

"Nancy? Are you okay?" he asked, jogging over to where the girl sat near a shrub.

"Make it go away! Make it go away!" Nancy said, backing away from the little furry caterpillar crawling on one of her hastily thrown gardening gloves. Freddy chuckled.

"He won't hurt you. It's okay. Here," said Freddy, pulling off his own gloves and picking up the insect, allowing it to crawl over his hand. "See? He's friendly." He knelt beside Nancy and held out his hand so the child could see the caterpillar better.

"Fuzzy…" Nancy replied, lightly running her finger down the critter's back.

"Yep," Freddy agreed. "Well, let's find a home for him." He put the bug on a leaf of a rhododendron and smiled. "There you go, little guy. I think he'll be happy at his new home, don't you, Nancy?"

Nancy smiled lightly, although she looked bothered by something.

"I wish I had a new home," she said. Freddy blinked, surprised by the child's words.

"Why do you say that, Nancy?" he asked.

"Mommy and Daddy fight all the time. They yell, throw things…it's scary," Nancy said.

Freddy sighed. So Nancy _was_ aware of Donny and Gwen's fighting. Did Donny know? What to do…

"I'm sorry, Nancy. If you need someone to talk to you, come to me, okay? I'll help you in any way I can," Freddy said. He patted her head and took her hand in his. "C'mon, let's go to my truck and have a snack break."

Freddy opened the passenger door of his pickup truck and help Nancy into the cab. He then walked to the other side and climbed in beside the girl, grabbing a small cooler from the passenger foot well.

"Here you go. Teacher Loretta made it for you," he said, handing Nancy a zip-lock baggie containing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a juice box. Freddy then grabbed his own turkey sandwich and popped the cap off the bottle of beer his wife had packed for him.

The two ate in silence for a while, up until Freddy started whistling the tune to _In the Hall of the Mountain King_. Nancy sipped on her juice box, looking rather contemplative. She sighed and finally spoke.

"I wish _you_ were my daddy, Mr. Freddy," she said.

Freddy's whistling hit a shrill note before stopping altogether. He cleared his throat nervously, but his tone was sweet as he spoke.

"Hey now, don't say that," he said. "Your Mommy and Daddy love you very much. You know how I know? Your Daddy is always telling me! 'Oh, that little Nancy of mine,' he says, 'I love her so much!' He and your Mommy would miss you if you went live with me."

"You think so?" Nancy asked.

"I _know_ so," replied Freddy with a smile. "C'mere. Let's play a game." He took her hand in his and rubbed his inner thigh.

"What kinda game?" Nancy inquired. Freddy smiled and moved his and Nancy's hands toward the bulge in his pants.

"It's—our special game," Freddy said, working his belt free with one hand. He unzipped his fly and freed his erection, now moving his and Nancy's hands to it. "Just rub it like—oooh…good girl…_good girl…_"

His gently squeezed Nancy's hand and the child imitated his movements. Freddy smiled at her, gasping as he came undone.

"Mmmmm….yes…" Freddy whispered, grabbing a few wet-naps to clean their hands. "There we go…all cleaned up," he went on, zipping up his pants. "Now, this is our special game, Nancy. It's only between me and you. Promise to keep it just between us?"

"Okay, Mr. Freddy," Nancy said.

She didn't really understand the point of the game, but Mr. Freddy seemed to enjoy it.

But, she couldn't help but wonder when it would be her turn…


	8. Sins of the Father

Innocent Demon

Ch. 8: Sins of the Father

* * *

A/n: Writer's block be damned! After several long months of writer's block and/or lack of inspiration, I've finally updated!

* * *

Freddy Krueger sat nervously in the hospital waiting room, turning his fedora over and over in his hands. Loretta had gone into labor during the night. Freddy couldn't bear to see his wife and pain and thus camped out in the waiting room that was sparsely populated with one or two other expectant fathers. A nurse smiled comfortingly at him and handed him a cup of coffee, assuring him that everything was going to be fine. Krueger merely nodded and said nothing. After watching the other expectant father in the room with him run down the hall to the room where his wife was, Freddy watched the muted TV with mild interest. He had to admit that the news was actually watchable when there was no sound. A little less than half an hour passed when he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and put his fedora over his eyes, finally allowing himself to doze off.

_He dreamed he was back at the preschool, down in the basement where he occasionally hid to cool off during the hot weather. He and Loretta would sometimes sneak down here for sex. However, it was not his wife who was lying beside him this time around. Freddy smiled and brushed back a flyaway bit of brownish-blond hair, gently kissing a tiny bare shoulder._

_"My little Nancy…" he whispered. He was confused at hearing a faraway voice call his name. _

"Fredrick—Fredrick, wake up…"

Freddy groaned as he felt someone remove his fedora from over his face and was now met with the painful glare of fluorescent lighting. To make matters worse, that damnable nun, Sister Mary Helena—Amanda Krueger—his mother, was the one who had woken him from a rather nice dream. Selfish bitch…

"Mmm—five more minutes, Mommy…" he muttered, closing his eyes again as he now pulled his jacket over his face. The nun snatched that away from him as well and shoved a Styrofoam coffee cup into his hand.

"Drink that and wake up," Amanda said in an icy tone. "We need to talk."

"Says the woman who disowned me before I was even born," Freddy shot back in equal coldness. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, Ma."

"I thought it best that you get an idea of what kind of man your father was, in a foolish attempt to prevent you from turning into him in more than just looks," the nun explained, handing her son a folder that read "PAITENT # 1428 / "TED"

"You said you never knew his name, right?"

"As I told you before, the doctors and other staff called him 'Ted' because he responded to that. As for his _real _name, it died with him."

Freddy skimmed through the patient intake form and doctors' notes, continuously noticing a few repeating terms. _"Anti-social personality disorder"— "violently aggressive"—"murderer"— "rapist"…_ Krueger gasped when he came to a photograph of a man who looked identical to himself. The only difference was that the man in the photo had dark brown eyes, almost black, while Freddy had inherited his mother's ice blue eyes.

"I'm nothing like him," he said, although it was more to himself than his mother. The monster in the back of his mind chuckled wickedly at that.

**Then explain the little **_game _**you and Nancy played the other day…**

"I wish I could believe you, Fredrick," Mary Helena replied. "If you inherited his looks, you are bound to have inherited his personality was well. I pity your wife and daughter and hope that God strikes you down before you hurt them-"

_"SHUT UP!"_

_SLAP!_

It took Freddy a moment to realize that he was now on his feet, his right hand aching dully and bleeding from the split skin across one knuckle. He glared at the nun as he watched her put a hand to her stinging cheek.

"You were never there for me, you selfish bitch!" he snarled in a deadly whisper. "You don't know what kind of man I am!"

The nun looked at him with a mixture of sadness and fear, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I can see him in your eyes, hear him in your voice—you have no idea how much that terrifies and hurts me, Fredrick…"

"Stay away from me and my family, Ma. Do you hear me? As far as I'm concerned, my mother is dead as well as my father. Should I _ever _see you again, I will not hesitate to make it true."

Freddy jumped back at a light tap against his shoulder. It was the nurse who had given him a cup of coffee earlier.

"Mr. Krueger—your wife delivered a healthy baby girl. You can go see them now," she said.

* * *

Little Nancy knew her father was upset, but she wasn't sure _why_. Donny merely smiled when his daughter showed him the drawing of a kitten she'd made for him. Nancy wanted to cheer her father up, but how? She sighed as she tried to think of something.

"Are you okay, Daddy?"

Her daddy forced a smile, saying, "I'm okay, sweetie, just a lot going on. Work's been rough lately. I wish I could be home more so I could spend more time with you."

Nancy walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a bag of Goldfish crackers, munching on them by the tiny handful before handing the bag to her father, who took a larger handful. The child watched her father put two or three crackers on his mouth at once and forced himself to smile.

_What cheers Mr. Freddy up when he's feeling sad?_ she thought. Suddenly, she remembered the game the two of them played in the pickup truck the other day. Mr. Freddy liked it…maybe it could cheer her daddy up.

"Can we play a game, Daddy?" Nancy asked as she pulled chair up close to where her father sat. Donny patted her head and his smile became a little more genuine.

"What sort of game, pumpkin?"

"A cheer up game," Nancy replied, rubbing Donny's inner thigh like Mr. Freddy had shown her. Donny quickly rose from his chair, a horrified look in his eyes.

"Nancy! Don't _do _that! Where did you learn to do that?"

The child gasped, realizing that, not only had she upset her father, but she'd also broken her promise to Mr. Freddy.

_ "Now, this is our special game, Nancy,"_ he'd told her. _"It's only between me and you. Promise to keep it just between us?"_

Yes, she'd promised, but now that was broken and she knew Mr. Freddy would be angry with her. _Maybe,_ thought Nancy with a stab of horror, _Mr. Freddy won't want to play with me anymore…_ She knew she had to say something so he'd never know.

"I saw it on TV once," she lied. "Mama had a movie on and there were people doin' that…I'm sorry, Daddy…"

Donny sighed. Gwen, the stupid bitch, must have fallen into a drunken stupor with the Playboy channel on again. This wasn't the first time it happened, but it had been Nancy's first exposure to things she was far too young to understand. He'd deal with the alcoholic broad he called a wife later.

"C'mere, sweetie," he said, bending down to his daughter's eye level and held out his arms. Nancy hugged him tightly and the world seemed, for once, almost bearable. "I'm not mad at you, baby. I'm not. But you don't do that, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy."

Donny smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"C'mon," he said, handing Nancy her jacket. "Let's go see if Teacher Loretta had the baby yet."

* * *

When they pulled up into the parking lot outside the maternity ward, Donny and Nancy found Freddy waiting for them, almost dancing in happiness.

"I'm a daddy!" Freddy crowed, picking Nancy up under the arms and twirling her around before setting her back down. "Loretta gave birth a few hours ago!"

"Congrats, Fred," replied Donny with a smile, taking the cigar the gardener had handed him. "How's Loretta?"

"Tired but happy, both she and the baby are sleeping right now," Freddy said. He smiled as Nancy tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.

"What's the baby's name, Mr. Freddy?"

"Her name's Katherine."


End file.
